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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29408247">Midnight Cuddles</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NowOrNever_phantom/pseuds/NowOrNever_phantom'>NowOrNever_phantom</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Julie and The Phantoms (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bisexual Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Hurt Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Protective Luke, Reggie Peters Whump (Julie and The Phantoms), idk how to tag, ruke - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:48:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,260</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29408247</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NowOrNever_phantom/pseuds/NowOrNever_phantom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Reggie? Is everything okay?” Reggie bit his lip and shook his head. He looked on the verge of tears. “Come on inside Reg.” His eyes were puffy, his hair disheveled, and his face was twisted up in an expression Luke never wanted to see again. Fear. Reggie was always so happy, so bubbly, but right now it was all gone.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Luke Patterson/Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>118</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Midnight Cuddles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hii, so this is my first fanfiction, but anyway I hope you like it!</p><p>Just a bit of a warning, there is some mention of child abuse</p><p>Comments are greatly appreciated! :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Reggie’s parents were fighting again. They always were, but Reggie couldn’t sleep tonight. He looked over at his clock. It was 1:32 in the morning. He sighed, and put on his headphones in order to drown out the fighting. He wouldn’t be getting any sleep anytime soon. Just as the music was taking him away, he heard his mom scream from downstairs. Reggie froze. Then he heard a crash and another scream. Reggie shut off his music and ran downstairs. “Mom?” he asked, hoping she was okay. As he got to the bottom of the stairs, he noticed all of the broken glass on the floor.</p><p>“Get back to your room,” said his father as he rounded a corner. Reggie flinched. His father took a sip from the beer in his hand. Reggie looked down and started fidgeting with his flannel. “I-I just came down to make sure everything was okay,” he said quietly. “Who the hell asked you to do that?” His dad walked closer to him. Reggie backed up and didn’t respond as his eyes filled with tears. “That’s what I thought. Nobody.” Reggie tried to make himself smaller. “Cause nobody gives a damn about you or what you think.” His dad took another sip from his beer and walked away from Reggie. Then the shouting started again.</p><p>Reggie ran back upstairs and tried to drown out the shouting again, but it wasn’t working. He was shaking and tears were running down his face. He had to get out. Reggie climbed out of his window. It was raining and cold, but he didn’t care. He just ran. He didn’t have a plan, his feet just carried him further and further away from his home. He finally stopped and gasped for breath. When he looked up, he realized he was close to Luke’s house. He didn’t want to bother Luke, but he had nowhere else to go. Alex was away for the weekend, and Bobby was home, but out of the question, since he didn’t know about Reggie’s home life. Reggie didn’t have the key to the studio either, so he couldn’t even crash there for the night. So Reggie walked the rest of the way to Luke’s house. He briefly considered going to the front door, but decided against it. The Patterson’s probably wouldn’t be too happy to see Reggie at such an early hour, no matter how much they meant it when they said Reggie was welcome at any time.</p><p>He went to Luke’s window and threw a few pebbles at it. Reggie’s thoughts started spiraling when Luke didn’t open his window right away. What if Luke doesn’t want to see me? What if he sees it’s me and doesn’t let me in? What if he laughs at how pathetic I am? Inside, Luke stirred at a noise coming from outside. After the third time, Luke got up to see what it was. He turned his light on, and opened his window and looked out. He saw someone standing there, and as his eyes adjusted to the dark, he realized it was Reggie. “Reggie? Is everything okay?” Reggie bit his lip and shook his head. He looked on the verge of tears. “Come on inside Reg.” Reggie climbed through Luke’s window and stood there fiddling with his hands. The boy was soaking wet. His eyes were puffy, his hair disheveled, and his face was twisted up in an expression Luke never wanted to see again. Fear. Reggie was always so happy, so bubbly, but right now it was all gone.</p><p>“I’m going to get you some dry clothes, okay?” Reggie didn’t meet Luke’s eyes, but nodded. Luke grabbed one of his various tanktops and his most comfortable pair of sweatpants, and handed them to Reggie. Reggie still didn’t acknowledge Luke as he went to the bathroom to change. When Reggie came back out, he stood there looking at the ground, fiddling with his shirt. Luke was on his bed, and patted next to him. “C’mere Reg.” Reggie sat down next to Luke, and drew his knees to his chest. “Do you want to talk about it?” Reggie shook his head. “Okay, well I’m right here if you want to.” They sat there for a few minutes in silence before Reggie finally spoke. “It’s my parents again,” he whispered. “Oh Reg I’m sorry.” Reggie wrapped his arm around his knees, but leaned over and rested his head on Luke’s shoulder. Luke froze, but shook it off and wrapped an arm around Reggie. He felt the boy relax the slightest bit. “Were they fighting like they always do?” asked Luke gently. When Reggie didn’t respond right away, he just waited. He knew he had to be gentle and wait for Reggie to be ready, or else Reggie would panic and close himself off. “It started off as the normal fights that happen every day, fights about stupid stuff. I tried to drown it out, but it didn’t work. I heard my mom scream. My dad was throwing stuff at her.”</p><p>Reggie stopped and Luke felt him trying to become smaller. Luke rubbed Reggie’s shoulder and hugged him tighter. Reggie continued. “I went downstairs to check on my mom, to make sure she was okay. Then my dad came out and started yelling again. At me this time. He cornered me, and I couldn’t get away.” Luke felt him begin to tremble in his arms. “He said that nobody gives a damn about me or what I think,” whispered Reggie. Luke drew in a sharp breath. “Is that true Luke?” Luke pulled away from Reggie and shifted his position so that he was facing Reggie. “Hey, look at me.” Reggie looked up at Luke. His eyes were shiny and rimmed with red. “Listen to me when I say this, okay? And I mean every word I’m about to say. I give a damn about you. So does Alex, so does Bobby. You are our best friend, of course we care about you.” Luke lowered his voice. “I care about you.”</p><p>The corner of Reggie’s lips gave a slight tug. “You really mean that?” whispered Reggie. “Of course I do.” Reggie smiled weakly. He sat up suddenly. “I-I should probably get going though, I didn’t mean to bother you, I know that I shouldn’t have woken you either, and I-” Luke gently grabbed Reggie’s wrist as he was turning away. “Reg, you’re always welcome here. No matter what time it is, no matter what’s going on. Okay? Don’t be sorry about anything. It’s not your fault.” Reggie gave Luke a small smile. “D-does that mean I can crash here for the night? I don’t really want to go home,” he whispered. “Of course you can. Do you want the bed? I can grab the extra mattress for myself.” “No, it’s fine, you take the bed,” said Reggie quickly. Luke smiled. Sweet Reggie always thought of others before himself, no matter what. His kind heart was one of the things Luke loved best about Reggie. “You sure?” Reggie nodded. “Okay, I’ll be right back, I’m just going to grab the mattress for you.” Reggie nodded again as his gaze dropped to the floor. Luke quickly ran and grabbed the inflatable mattress from the guest room across the hall, then set it up in his room. “Do you need anything else?” Reggie just shook his head. Luke hesitated for a moment, then pulled Reggie into a tight hug. He felt all the tension leave Reggie as he hugged Luke back just as tight, nestling his head on Luke’s shoulder. Luke held Reggie until Reggie was ready to pull away, letting him soak in all of the love he could.</p><p>When Reggie was all settled, Luke turned the light out. “G’night Reg,” he whispered. “Night Luke.” Luke turned over in his bed and tried to go to sleep. Reggie on the other hand, lay there staring at the ceiling. The fight from earlier came back to the front of his mind, and his thoughts spiraled again. Does Luke really care about me? Was he just humoring me so that I would shut up? Was my dad right? That last question echoed in his mind. Reggie started trembling and his breathing became unsteady. He tried to calm himself down, calm his breathing, but it wasn’t working. The silence was too deafening. Reggie let out a little whimper, getting lost in his thoughts again. Luke sat up. “Reggie? Are you okay?” Reggie didn’t answer, but Luke could hear his shaky breathing and knew that he wasn’t truly okay. “Reggie talk to me buddy.”</p><p>“T-the silence is too much, I-I’m getting lost inside my head.” His voice was wobbling. “C-can I come sit with you?” whispered Reggie. “Of course Reg, come here.” Reggie slipped under the blankets next to Luke. Luke could feel him shaking. Reggie leaned onto Luke again, and Luke pulled him close. In a brave moment, Luke grabbed Reggie’s hand and intertwined their fingers. Luke could see Reggie’s expression change to one of surprise, his mouth forming an oh, his face taking on a light shade of pink. Luke immediately let go. “I’m sorry, I should have asked…” Reggie quickly spoke up. “N-no, it’s fine Luke.” His voice dropped off to a whisper. “I don’t mind. It was actually kinda nice.” Luke smiled and interlaced their fingers again. Reggie nestled in closer to Luke, and Luke started stroking Reggie’s hair, softly humming to help calm him. Reggie’s breathing was back to normal, and he had stopped shaking.</p><p>“Luke?” asked Reggie softly. “Yeah Reg?” Reggie bit his lip. “Thanks.” Luke tilted his head at Reggie. “For what?” he asked quietly. “For everything. For letting me into your room soaking wet at 2 in the morning, for sharing your clothes and bed with me, and for being there for me.” Luke smiled. “Of course Reg, I love you.” Reggie was taken aback. “Y-you what?” Luke felt his face flush red, and was glad that it was too dark for Reggie to see his face. “I uh, I love you Reg.” stuttered Luke. He could feel Reggie smile. “Thanks Luke,” he mumbled. His breathing was getting heavier as he slowly started drifting off. Luke leaned down and gently kissed Reggie’s forehead. “Night Reggie.” Reggie smiled again, and nestled closer to Luke.</p><p>--------------</p><p>In the morning, Luke woke up to find him and Reggie were still cuddling, and Reggie was still asleep. He looked so peaceful, a small smile playing across his lips, his hair messy and tangled, resting his cheek on Luke’s shoulder. Luke carefully brushed some of Reggie’s hair away from his face. Reggie gently stirred, smiling up at Luke when he opened his eyes. “Morning Reg.” Reggie yawned. “Morning Luke.” They sat there for a few minutes not moving, staying cuddled up for a little longer. Reggie was the first to gently pull away.</p><p>He sat up and stretched his arms with a yawn. “Thanks for letting me stay the night Luke.” Luke smiled warmly at Reggie. “Of course man.” Reggie hesitated. “I… I should probably get going though. I don’t want my mom to worry.” Luke nodded. “You sure you want to go home?” Reggie didn’t answer right away. “No, but it’ll be worse if I wait,” he said softly. “I’ll walk you home then.” Reggie winced. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Luke frowned. “It’s not a problem for me if that’s what you’re worried about.” Reggie bit his lip. “I know, it’s just…” he sighed. “Today’s just not a good day.” Luke rubbed Reggie’s shoulder. “Alright.” Reggie gathered up his things, and began to climb out Luke’s window. “I’ll see you later Reg.” Reggie smiled at Luke, then began his way home.</p><p>--------------</p><p>It was night again, and Reggie was back at his house. His mom hadn’t commented when he came back home, she had barely acknowledged him. But after his dad had left, his mom had began making conversation with Reggie. They were sitting at the kitchen table now, just talking. Even though they weren’t that close with each other, it was nice to just talk to each other sometimes.</p><p>Reggie suddenly heard a car door slam outside. He tensed up. His dad staggered through the door holding a beer in his hand. He was drunk again. His mom stood up, an angry look on her face. “More alcohol? You don’t need more alcohol.” His dad’s face grew angry. “Don’t tell me what I do and don’t need woman!” Behind them, Reggie could feel himself slowly losing his calm, slipping into fear and panic. His mouth felt dry as his parents started shouting louder at each other. He would just go get a drink of water, then go up to his room, and everything would be okay. Reggie shakily stood up and walked over to the fridge. He steadied his hands, grabbed a bottle of water. He closed the fridge and walked over to the stairs.</p><p>Suddenly his dad came into view. His mom was behind Reggie. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. His dad threw something, and it hit Reggie full blast in the face. He could feel the blood dripping down his face as he fell to the ground. He curled up into a ball as his parents started fighting again, screaming even louder.</p><p>“Why the hell would you throw something at him?” screamed his mom. “It’s not my fault he got in the way!” He kicked Reggie in the side. “Get off your ass and get upstairs!” Reggie pulled himself to his feet and went as fast as he could to his room. His eyes stung with tears and he was shaking violently with fear. Blood was still pouring out of his wound, but Reggie didn’t miss a beat as he opened his window and hit the ground running. He had to get out of there. He never wanted to go back. His feet took him to Luke’s house again. He threw pebbles at his window until the light turned on and Luke stuck his head out. “Reggie?” Luke saw Reggie standing there, but something was wrong. There was something dark on his face and his shirt. Then Luke’s mind registered it as blood. “Shit.”</p><p>He helped Reggie inside and brought him to the bathroom. When he turned the light on, Luke gasped, unable to comprehend what could have happened to poor Reggie. His face was still streaming blood, and was getting all over his shirt. Reggie was silently crying, and refused to meet Luke’s eyes. “Reggie, I need you to tell me what happened.” Reggie shook his head as more tears fell down his face. Luke sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “Okay, okay.” He softened his tone. “I’m gonna get you all cleaned up, come over here.” Reggie began to walk over to Luke but his face went pale and he staggered. Luke shot out and caught Reggie. “Woah, you okay Reg?” asked Luke, worried. Reggie gave Luke a slight nod.</p><p>Luke sat him down on the floor where he was, and got out the first aid kit. He wet a towel and gently began to dab at Reggie’s face. Reggie pulled back with a hiss of pain. “I know, I’m sorry, but you gotta hold still.” Reggie paused, but nodded, letting Luke tend to him again. When Luke cleaned up all of the dried blood, he saw something shiny sticking out of Reggie’s cheek. He reached out and removed it. “Glass?” he whispered. Reggie just bit his lip and shook his head. Luke sighed again, and put bandaids on Reggie’s face. “There, that should help.” Reggie didn’t acknowledge Luke as he said this, or when Luke got up and grabbed Reggie fresh clothes. “Here, put these on. We’ll wash yours in the morning.”</p><p>Luke turned around as Reggie changed. When he was done, Luke put an arm around Reggie and helped him to his bedroom. He didn’t say anything as he sat Reggie down on his bed and hugged him close. Reggie was still shaking and softly crying. “Was it your parents?” asked Luke gently. A sob escaped Reggie. Luke clenched his jaw. “I’ll kill them, I’ll-” “No, Luke i-it’s fine,” Reggie said, pulling back from Luke. Luke stood up and began to shout. “But it’s not fine! They hurt you!” Reggie flinched and curled in on himself. Luke’s anger melted at the sight of Reggie being afraid of him. “I-I’m sorry.” He reached out to comfort Reggie, but Reggie flinched violently and shied away. “Shit, I’m sorry Reggie. I shouldn't have yelled.” Luke sat there with his head in his hands, not knowing what to do, guilt filling him.</p><p>A few minutes later, Luke looked up, startled by Reggie. He had moved closer to Luke. “Can I…” whispered Luke. Reggie nodded smally at Luke. Luke put an arm around Reggie and held him close. Reggie leaned closer and rested his head on Luke’s shoulder. “I’m sorry for yelling at you.” Reggie didn’t respond, but Luke hadn’t expected him to.</p><p>“They were fighting again,” Reggie said softly, his voice hoarse. “I was about to go upstairs, but I got in the way. My dad threw an empty bottle of alcohol at her, and it hit me in the face.” Tears started running down his face again. “Then he kicked me in the side after I fell.” Luke let Reggie cry onto him for a while. “I didn’t know where else to go, I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Don’t be sorry, I told you last night, you’re always welcome here. I enjoy your company.”</p><p>“Even when I’m like this?” asked Reggie. “Like what? I see absolutely no difference.” Reggie let out a forced laugh. “Look at me Luke.” Luke turned and looked Reggie in the eye. “I’m a mess! I’m crying and covered in blood! Almost every time I come over here, I have a panic attack, and you say you see no difference?”</p><p>“All I see is you. Beautiful, sweet Reggie.” Luke leaned forward and kissed Reggie on the lips. Reggie’s breath hitched. When Luke pulled back, he saw shock written on Reggie’s face, his face flushed red. Luke felt himself blush. “I, uh, I-I’m sorry about that, I didn’t mean to-” He was cut off as Reggie kissed him. Luke was shocked, but it wore off in an instant, and Luke kissed Reggie back. Reggie wrapped his arms around Luke’s shoulders, and Luke put his hand in Reggie’s hair. Luke felt a sigh escape Reggie’s lips. Reggie was the first to slowly pull away. He was smiling from ear to ear. “So Reg, how long were you waiting to do that?” Reggie laughed and Luke pulled him in for another kiss. After what seemed like forever, they pulled apart again.</p><p>Luke took Reggie’s hand and intertwined their fingers. Reggie rested his head on Luke’s shoulder. “So what does this mean for us?” asked Reggie. “I don’t know, what do you want it to mean?” Reggie smiled. Luke cupped Reggie’s chin in his hand and looked at him. “Just know that I’m not playing with your feelings.” Luke held up his hand as Reggie opened his mouth to speak. “Before you say anything, I know that you get lost up there sometimes.” Reggie winced. “Is it really that obvious?” “A little bit, yeah. But it’s okay, it’s nothing we can’t deal with.” Reggie smiled. “We. I like that.” Luke brushed loose hair from Reggie’s face and kissed him on the forehead. “Me too.”</p>
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